A recent finding of Lemmings flooded my mind with feelings of nostalgia. The persistent little creatures were one of my earlier gaming experiences. However, now slightly more intelligent than in my youth, at least I hope so that is true, I have gained a new perspective and appreciation for the little rodents. The following, is a culmination of those thoughts.

Following the crowd may prove fatal: Well fatal may be bit of an exaggeration in most instances of real live, but the concept remains the same. My mom probably wasn’t the only one who uttered the adage “Well if they were to jump of a bridge, would you?” Lemmings in a sense demonstrates the negative effects peer pressure. If one blindly follows the rest of the crowd, one may end up falling down a rather large hole, metaphorically speaking of course.

If at first you don’t succeed, try a new idea: This famous quote attributed to Einstein sums it up quite nicely: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Lemmings shows that no matter how hard you try and persistent you are, a wrong method still wont be successful.

Every worker/job is important: The lemmings each have different duties. Some build bridges, others blow themselves up. But in the end, each one is essential to the finished product. Just like how you need salt as much as sugar when making chocolate chip cookies, you need suicidal, spontaneously combusting lemmings as much a builders when trying to reach the exit.

Think of others: Lemmings are willing lay down their lives for the rest of the group. If they are willing to lay down their lives, we can at least take a little from the example and try to put others first.

Don’t Follow Blindly: Make sure to think about the situation, and to not act impetuously without any reasoning for your actions. If you see some one fall down a hole, it might be best to turn around. Don’t follow like Lemmings.

Spontaneous Combustion is possible: At least in videogames that is. Does it happen in the real world? Well the truth is out there…

Ultimately, Lemmings is an amazing and timeless game. If you haven’t ever played it, click here. However, we don’t suggest trying to float using an umbrella in real life. That might not turn out well.